Ski binding

ABSTRACT

A ski binding comprises a pivoted lever having one end shaped to constitute a boot-sole retaining jaw and an opposite end pivotally connected to an outer end of the ski binding body, an intermediate screw permitting adjustment of the height of the jaw by engaging a tapped hole in said case and bearing with a frustoconical surface of its head against an inclined edge of an aperture in said lever. The lever is held against said head by spring means or by a cross pin or spring ring.

United States Patent Vouthier May 14, 1974 SKI BINDING 3.461407 9/1969 Unger 280/l1.35 T 07 9 9 5 z [75] Inventor: Marcel Vouthier, Cluses, France H 6 Hum 280M as T [73] Assignee: Etablissements Carpano & Pons Primary Examiner Roben s ClllSeS, France Attorney, Agent, or Firn1Robert E. Burns; Emman- 22 Filed: July 24, 1972 Lobflm [21] Appl. No.: 274,796

, [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority D t A ski binding comprises a pivoted lever having one July 28, 1971 France 71.27620 end Shaped to constitute boot'sole retaining jaw and I an opposite end pivotally connected to an outer end of 52 US. 01 2230/1135 T Ski binding body an intermediate Screw Permitting 51 1111. c1. A630 9/08 adjustment the height of the Jaw by engaging a 581 Field of Search 280/] 1.35 H 1 1.35- T tapped hole in'said Case and bearing with a frustoconical surface of its head against an inclined edge of an [56] References Cited aperture in said lever. The lever is held against said UNITED STATES PATENTS head by spring means or by a cross pin or springring.

3,442,525 5/1969 Heckll 280/11.35 T 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SKI BINDING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to ski bindings, in particular to ski bindings including means for adjusting the vertical position of boot sole hold-down jaws, whether at the toe or heel end.

Various bindings of this kind are already known. In one known type, the boot sole hold-down jaw is firmly connected to the ski binding body by a screw extending substantially along the longitudinal axis of the ski, the plane of the joint between said body and its jaw being substantially perpendicular to the screw and to the ski axis, said joint being provided with matching teeth or notches formed on the body and on the jaw for preventing the latter from slipping in relation to the body after the screw has been locked. This binding has the drawback that adjustment is not continuous but is incremented, since the jaw must be moved through a distance of at least one tooth or notch with respect to the body. Moreover, to obtain an optimum adjustment, it is necessary to proceed by trial and error, since the ski boot must be removed during adjustment, otherwise the jaw locking screw disposed beneath the retaining edge of said jaw would not be accessible.

In other known devices, the plane of the joint between the jaw and the'body is used as a slideway between these two members. This slideway has a contour according to the specific design, for example flat, V- v shaped, in the form of1a dovetail, and so on. Anadjustment screwparallelto said slideway and perpendicular to the upper surface of the ski enables the jaw and body tobe moved relative to each other with a translational movement. These devices have certain advantageous features in relation to the preceding type mentioned hereinabove, but they are also objectionable because theslideway system is difficult to manufacture with a reduced play, and. requires accurate machining opera- .tions with expensive tools.

In another known type, the complete ski binding is mounted on a screwthreaded pintle rigid with the ski and perpendicular to the top surface thereof. The vertical position of the hold-down jaw is adjusted by causing the complete jaw part of the binding to rotate throughv a certain number of revolutions about said screwthreaded pintle. This arrangement is therefore also objectionable because it is not continuous, since the minimum adjustment corresponds to one. pitch-of the screw;-

moreover, the boot must beremovedfrom the ski binding before making the desired adjustment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ited by the head of an adjustment screw protruding from the top of the binding, preferably adjacent to the jaw end, the shank of said screw extending through an aperture in the lever and engaging a tapped hole formed in the body disposed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the ski. Resilient means disposed between said lever and the body con-- stantly urge said lever into engagement with the underface of the head of the adjustement screw. 'Said resilient means may be replaced by positive retaining means, such as a cross-pin or a spring ring, positioned on the screw shank and bearing against the underneath face of the lever with a play just sufficient to permit rotation of said screw.

The lever may substantially have the shape of an inverted U in cross-section and be adapted to cover the upper portion of the body of the ski binding so as to protect same against the ingress of snow, ice or mud, the pivot means of said lever consisting on the one hand of a slot at the end of the lever opposite to the jaw, defining said axis of pivoting, and on the other hand a corresponding tongue protruding from a forward end of the body and passing through the slot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows in part-elevational,part-sectional view, an embodiment of a ski binding according'to the invention, the section being taken along line Il of FIG. 2;

fied embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The ski binding shown comprises a cover-like or U- sectioned lever 1 fitting over the upper portion of a ski binding body 2, body 2 being secured on a base plate 3 by means not shown. Base plate 3 is secured by the ski boot from the ski binding during this operation,

and which is simple and economical to manufacture.

A ski binding according to the invention comprises a lever disposed at the upper portion of the binding body and adapted to bear with a jaw-shaped end against the edge of a ski boot sole. Said lever has its opposite end, i.e. the end remote from the jaw, pivotally mounted on the body about a transverse axis parallel to the top surface of the skiand perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. Pivoting of said lever about its axis is limscrews to the top surface of a ski 4. The cover-like lever 1 is pivotally mounted by having on the one hand a slot 5 formed at its outer" end'(i.e. opposite to its inner jaw fonning end 6 which is adapted to engage the edge of the sole of a ski boot) and, on the other hand, a forwardly protruding tongue 7 of body 2 which extends through said slot 5 with a clearance just sufficient to permit a desired range of pivotal movement of said lever 1 in relation to the body 2 about a transverse axis extending substantially at right angles to the ski axis and parallelto the top surface of the ski.

Pivoting of lever 1 about tongue 7' is limited in the direction of arrow F, by the engagement between a frusto-conical surface 10 of the head 8 of a screw 9 and the inclined edges of a substantially concentric opening 11 formed through the top wall of lever 1.

A screw-threaded portion of the shank of screw 9 extends through said opening ll and engages a tapped hole provided in the body 2. The axis of screw 9 is substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the ski and lies preferably in close vicinity of the jaw end 6, so far as permitted by the general structure of the ski bind- A pair of coil compression springs 14 disposed on either side of, and parallel to, screw 9 (FIG. 3) urge said lever 1 upwards by reacting against the bottom of corresponding cavities formed in the body 2, and against the inner surface of lever l.

Edges 12 of jaw 6 are adapted to engage the top of the marginal portion of a sole 13 for limiting the movement of this sole in the direction of arrow F,.

It is thus clear that if the screw 9 is screwed into or out of body 2, lever 1 is made to pivot about the axis defined by slot and tongue 7, so that the edges 12 of said jaw tend to move towards or away from the upper surface of ski 4. To obtain an optimum adjustment of this jaw it is only necessary to adjust its position in such a manner that it will permit the passage of sole 13 between this jaw and ski 4 with a clearance sufficient to allow easy insertion of this sole under the edges 12.

Another function of screw 9 is to prevent the movement of the coverlike lever l in relation to body 2 in the direction of the arrow F such movement could cause the slot 5 to move out of engagement with tongue 7 and thus dislodge said lever from being pivotally mounted.

The springs 14 have a two-fold function: firstly, holding the jaw 6 at its maximum permitted distance above the surface of the ski by causing the inclined edges of hole 11 of lever l to constantly engage the frustoconical underface of the head 8 of adjustment screw 9; secondly, acting as a braking means to prevent any untimely screwing or unscrewing of screw 9, which would modify the jawadjustment, by providing a permanent frictional engagement between the two coacting surfaces of said lever and screw head, on the one hand, and between the corresponding threads of the screw and of the tapped hole of said body, on the other hand.

In a variant of the above-described embodiment, springs 14 could be replaced by resilient blocks or the like of an elastomeric material.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the bearing surface of the adjustment screw 9 and the corresponding bearing surface of the cover-like lever l are knurled or serrated to provide radially extending alternate grooves and ribs (with respect to the screw axis) for increasing the frictional contact between said surfaces and therefore the reliability of their mutual positioning.

In another specific embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the pair of coil compression springs are replaced by positive retaining means in the form of a cross-pin 15 passing through a transverse aperture in the shank of screw 9 on the side oflever l opposite the head 8 of screw 9, with a clearance just sufficient to permit rotation of screw 9. Cross-pin 15 could be replaced by other forms of positive retaining means such as a spring ring.

The ski binding according to the invention can be employed whenever a height adjustment of the ski-boot sole retaining jaw(s) is required, and may be atoe holddown or heel hold-down binding either of the so-called safety" type or otherwise.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments, it will readily occur to those conversant with the art that various modifications and variations may be brought thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A ski binding comprising a body securable to a top surface of a ski, a two-ended lever member pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the body about a transverse axis, means at the other end of the lever member defining a boot-sole retaining jaw, means disposed intermediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to said body, said lever member comprising a cover which fits over an upper part of said body, said means for adjusting and setting the height'of said jaw include means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of said lever member and means for holding the lever member against said limiting means, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including a screw with a head and a shank, said shank passing through an aperture in the lever member and threadably engaging in said body, and means provided on said shank for positively holding said lever member against said head, and said head forming said means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of the lever member.

2. Ski binding according to claim 1, in which said means for holding said lever member include resilient means for urging the lever upwardly from' the body against said limiting means.

3. Ski binding according to claim 1, in which said means for positively holding said lever member include a cross-pin passing through a transverse aperture in said shank.

4. Ski binding according to claim 1, in which said cover-forming lever member includes a top with side flanges extending downwardly from lateral edges of the top and an end flange extending downwardly from said one end of the top, said end flange including a transverse slot, and said body including at a forward end thereof a transverse forwardly protruding tongue passing through said slot with a play sufficient to permit a given range of pivoting of the lever member about a transverse axis.

5. A ski binding comprising, a body securable to a top surface of a ski, a two-ended lever member pivotally mounted at one end thereof to thebody about a transverse axis, means at the other end of the lever member defining a boot-sole retaining jaw, means disposed intermediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to said body, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of said lever member and means for holding the lever member against said limiting means, said means for holding said-lever member including resilient means for urging the lever upwardly from the body against said limiting means.

6. A ski binding comprising, a body securable to a top surface of a ski, a two-ended lever member pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the body about a transverse axis, means at the other end of the lever member defining a boot-sole retaining jaw, means disposed intermediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to said body, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of said lever member and means for holding the lever member against said limiting means, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including a screw with a head and a shank, said shank passing through an aperture in the lever member and threadably engaging in said body, means provided on said shankfor positively holding I said lever member against said head, and said head termediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to body, said lever member comprising a cover which fits over an upper part of said body, said coverforming' lever members including a top with side flanges extending downwardly from lateral edges of the top and an end flange extending downwardly from said one end of the top, said end flange having a transverse slot, and said body including at a forward end thereof a transverse forwardly protruding tongue passing through said slot with a play sufficient to permit a given range of pivoting of the lever member about a transverse axis. 

1. A ski binding comprising a body securable to a top surface of a ski, a two-ended lever member pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the body about a transverse axis, means at the other end of the lever member defining a boot-sole retaining jaw, means disposed intermediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to said body, said lever member comprising a cover which fits over an upper part of said body, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw include means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of said lever member and means for holding the lever member against said limiting means, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including a screw with a head and a shank, said shank passing through an aperture in the lever member and threadably engaging in said body, and means provided on said shank for positively holding said lever member against said head, and said head forming said means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of the lever member.
 2. Ski binding according to claim 1, in which said means for holding said lever member include resilient means for urging the lever upwardly from the body againsT said limiting means.
 3. Ski binding according to claim 1, in which said means for positively holding said lever member include a cross-pin passing through a transverse aperture in said shank.
 4. Ski binding according to claim 1, in which said cover-forming lever member includes a top with side flanges extending downwardly from lateral edges of the top and an end flange extending downwardly from said one end of the top, said end flange including a transverse slot, and said body including at a forward end thereof a transverse forwardly protruding tongue passing through said slot with a play sufficient to permit a given range of pivoting of the lever member about a transverse axis.
 5. A ski binding comprising, a body securable to a top surface of a ski, a two-ended lever member pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the body about a transverse axis, means at the other end of the lever member defining a boot-sole retaining jaw, means disposed intermediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to said body, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of said lever member and means for holding the lever member against said limiting means, said means for holding said lever member including resilient means for urging the lever upwardly from the body against said limiting means.
 6. A ski binding comprising, a body securable to a top surface of a ski, a two-ended lever member pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the body about a transverse axis, means at the other end of the lever member defining a boot-sole retaining jaw, means disposed intermediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to said body, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of said lever member and means for holding the lever member against said limiting means, said means for adjusting and setting the height of said jaw including a screw with a head and a shank, said shank passing through an aperture in the lever member and threadably engaging in said body, means provided on said shank for positively holding said lever member against said head, and said head forming said means for limiting the maximum height of the jaw of the lever member.
 7. Ski binding according to claim 6, in which said means for positively holding said lever member comprises a cross-pin passing through a transverse aperture in said shank.
 8. A ski binding comprising, a body securable to a top surface of a ski, a two-ended lever member pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the body about a transverse axis, means at the other end of the lever member defining a boot-sole retaining jaw, means disposed intermediate of said ends of the lever member for continuously adjusting and for setting the height of said jaw relative to body, said lever member comprising a cover which fits over an upper part of said body, said cover-forming lever members including a top with side flanges extending downwardly from lateral edges of the top and an end flange extending downwardly from said one end of the top, said end flange having a transverse slot, and said body including at a forward end thereof a transverse forwardly protruding tongue passing through said slot with a play sufficient to permit a given range of pivoting of the lever member about a transverse axis. 